Inspiring Teens Magazine Features

Anna Goldfogle

5/1/2019

Anna Goldfogle – Maryland
Interview by Zoe D’Angelo
Nomination and Photography by Danielle Lavis Photography
Issue 20 Inspiring Teens Magazine

The Nomination: This natural beauty is a ray of sunshine! Anna is outgoing, funny, energetic and loves to meet new people! She has danced all her life. She competed at a dance studio on a team from fourth grade all the way until sophomore year in high school. She then decided to try something new and she joined Poms. To round out her accomplishments, Anna is in the National Honors Society at school and an honor roll student.
Anna and her family run a non-profit organization/event called Ben's Run in memory of her brother Ben, who passed away from cancer. She helps her family prepare for the annual run each year by promoting it on social media, designing spirit wear, coming up with new ideas to incorporate and so much more. They have held the run for eight years and have raised over $650,000 for research to go towards childhood cancer. To continue her efforts, Anna is an ambassador for Dance Hope Cure, which is a social media campaign that raises awareness for childhood cancer. It allows her to use her love for dance to spread the word about childhood cancer and share her personal story of her brother.

Image by Danielle Lavis Photography

How did your interest in dance begin? What is your favorite style of dance and why?
When I was three years old my mom put me in ballet class at a small studio and that’s when it all started. I was immediately hooked, and wanted to take other styles too, so I switched to a new studio. My favorite style of dance is probably lyrical or contemporary because I like to challenge myself with creating new lines with my body as well as connecting to the music.

Tell us about Ben’s Run and how someone could contribute if they are not able to attend the run.
Ben’s Run is a non-profit organization that my family and I started to raise money towards research for childhood cancer at Children’s Hospital in memory of my brother Ben. It started 9 years ago when we raised $33,000 and now in total, we have raised $730,000. If you cannot attend the actual run, you can always donate online because every penny makes a difference in these kids’ lives.

Image by Mike Gilette

What are your duties within Dance Hope Cure? How could someone join?
My duties with Dance Hope Cure is to take pictures and post them on social media to spread awareness about childhood cancer. The more people that know about it, the more people that can help. It is the perfect way to combine my love for dance and passion for awareness of childhood cancer. Last year a group of my friends and I had a photoshoot specially for pictures of us dancing to promote Ben’s Run (which is seen in the photo) and it was so powerful.

Image by Mike Gilette of Haley Stone Danielle Shawver Madelyn Beckman Madison Knapp Lanie Nachlas Melina Meraklis and Anna Goldfogle

Tell us more about your experiences with the Poms team. How long were you on the team for?
I joined the Poms team at my high school junior year and was captain for my senior year.

How was Poms different from the dance you used to do? How was it similar? Explain!
It is different than dancing at a studio because our routines are super high intensity and require lots of stamina. Therefore, we run and workout every day in order to be in shape for our routines. It’s super fun because we get to perform at our football and basketball games. We also compete at 3 Invitationals and a County competition against all the other D1 poms teams in Montgomery County.

Anna will be featured in Issue 20 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!

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Gaby Esquivel

3/12/2019

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Gaby Esquivel – 17 - Maryland
Interview by Zoe D'Angelo
Nomination and Photography by Danielle Lavis Photography
Issue 17 | Athlete

The Nomination: Gaby Esquivel. Gaby is someone that you love the moment you meet her. She is hands down one of the most kindhearted people I have ever met. She is genuinely interested in other people, will drop anything for someone in need and is a huge animal lover. Love, God, animals, and family are most important to Gaby. Gaby is a highly accomplished competitive equestrian. She is ranked as one of the best in the nation.

Gaby volunteers a lot in her community to make a positive impact. Specifically, at her church they garden, make lunches for the homeless, and raise money for poorer countries. She also went on a church retreat and mentored younger teens. With a few powerful words, she could see how much she impacted those around her with her life stories and messages about faith.

The fight against cancer is an extremely important cause in her life. This is because her dad is a well-known cancer surgeon. In addition, she is the Vice President in the Stand Up to Cancer club at her school.

For the Stand Up to Cancer Club at my school I am the vice president. I help organize meetings, such as one to make blankets for kids with cancer at Johns Hopkins. I also assist in our annual Glow Run to raise money for those with cancer in honor of high school alumna Matsie Bosmans. I advertise the run, design t-shirts, and set up lights.

My plans for the future are to attend college, most likely in Maryland, Delaware, or Pennsylvania, and major in biology. As of now, I would like to attend medical or veterinary school in hopes of becoming a surgeon for either humans or animals. I also intend on keeping horses as a major aspect of my life.

I have had a range of equestrian experiences ever since I was 9 years old. From jumping to polocrosse to dressage I have tried a variety of styles of riding. For pony club, I participated in “Games” which consisted of several interesting obstacles, such as attempting to land coffee mugs on poles while galloping on horseback and popping balloons on the ground. Polocrosse was similar to lacrosse, but riding a horse at the same time. I also competed in Tetrathlon which was similar to a triathlon, but with 4 phases (running, swimming, target shooting, and show jumping on horseback). More recently, I began competing in the Hunters through the equestrian team for my high school. This involves jumping and being judged on the position and equitation of the rider. I did however settle in Eventing, which is a three phase horse trial consisting of dressage, show jumping, and cross country. I currently show in this style of riding very competitively and have traveled to Kentucky, Virginia, Florida, and South Carolina for horse shows.

Being ranked one of the best equestrians in the nation was most definitely a pleasant surprise. I always worked my hardest, did my best performance at shows, and spent endless hours at the barn, but never expected to become nationally ranked. When my instructor told me the news I was absolutely shocked and ecstatic. Yet, I focused on remaining humble and continuing my hard work and heavy competition season to further improve my riding ability.

Gaby will be featured in Issue 17 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!

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Alexa Fucello

3/10/2019

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Alexa Fucello – 17 - Maryland
Interview by Zoe D'Angelo
Nomination and Photography by Danielle Lavis Photography
Issue 17 | Leader

The Nomination: Alexa Fucello. Alexa’s light shines so bright! She is compassionate, brave, witty, fun, loyal & classy! She is also resilient. She says things don’t always come easy to her. But she always tries to find the positive and continues to work hard to achieve her goals.

At school she has become very interested in business and plans to select that as a major in college. She also plans to audition for a collegiate dance team. In school, she is the incoming President of their Future Business Leaders of America chapter and a member of the National Honor Society.

Her leadership with her school's chapter of Future Business Leaders of America is a point of pride. Last year as an officer and advocate for the FBLA organization, she was able to reach out to other students and increase membership. As the current President of the chapter, she continues to work to advocate and grow their presence in the educational community.

Alexa’s greatest interest and passion is dance. She has been dancing for 14 years as an elite company competitive dancer and has achieved many awards and accolades through the years.

Photography by Danielle Lavis Photography

What kind of business are you most interested in and why?

I developed a keen interest in business through my high school career pathway program. I began to take business courses and realized that this was an area that I wanted to continue to pursue; not only did I enjoy learning about various aspects of business, but I found that I had a knack for it. I credit my business teachers at my school for helping to develop my interest in business as well. As of right now, my plan is to pursue Marketing and Entrepreneurship in college. I really enjoy some of the creative aspects of marketing and hope to develop and own my own successful business someday.

Tell me about the FBLA organization and your duties within.

I joined our school’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter my sophomore year. Through FBLA there are many learning opportunities that include state and national conferences as well as competitions. I have enjoyed competing at the regional, state, and national levels. I am actively involved in our chapter and was elected the first female FBLA President at my school. I’m working hard in my senior year to market FBLA benefits and potential business careers to female underclassmen.

Photography by Danielle Lavis Photography

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

While I am ready to start the next chapter of my life and enjoy all the new experiences the next four years of college will bring, I do have a vision that in five years I will be employed by a great company and starting my successful career.

Dance image by Mike Gillette

How did your interest in dance begin?

This will mark my 15th year as a dancer. When I was two and half years old, my mother enrolled me in my first dance class. My parents thought dance would be a fun activity, but it quickly turned into a passion that shaped the person I am today. I have been with the same studio, Savage Dance Company, for all 15 years. My teachers and mentors at Savage have had a huge impact on my growing up, not only as a dancer but as a person. My time in the studio and on stage has taught me more than just technique. There was a time when I was not as confident as I am today. Performing on stage in front of hundreds of people pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to be vulnerable on stage. I learned at a young age how to deal with a tremendous amount of pressure in the heat of competition. I’ve learned valuable lessons in perseverance, how to rebound from disappointment, the benefits of hard work and commitment, and how to humbly celebrate success. One of the most valuable things I have gained from dance are the friendships I have formed that will last a lifetime.

What is your favorite type of dance and why?

While I enjoy all genres of dance, my two favorites are contemporary and lyrical. These forms of dance really allow me to express myself and my emotions through art and movement. It is hard to describe, but when you can touch an audience with the emotions you are feeling and are trying to convey, it is a very rewarding experience.

Alexa's interview will be featured in Issue 17 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!

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click here to purchase inspiring teens magazine

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Karenna Glenn

2/23/2019

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Karenna Glenn
Interviewed by Zoe D’Angelo
Nomination and Photography by Danielle Lavis Photography, LLC
Maryland
Issue 17 | Dancer

The Nomination: Karenna Glenn. Karenna is a beautiful soul with the most uplifting spirit! Karenna is sweet, bubbly, compassionate and fun! She is proud of the fact that she is on a nationally ranked dance team (Savage Dance Company). She is also proud of her ability to work extremely well with special needs children. She is in the National Honors Society and has won several Student of the Month awards. She has also won numerous dance scholarships. A cause that is important to Karenna is raising awareness for pediatric cancer research. She is an ambassador for Dance Hope Cure. She participates in dance photo shoots for them and all the money goes to research.

How did your interest in dance begin?
My interest in dance started when I was three and a half. I was in preschool, and they offered dance classes. I instantly fell in love. As I got older and more experienced, I discovered dance is a great way to express emotions that are not always easily verbalized.
Tell me about your nationally ranked dance team.
I have been dancing at Savage Dance Company (SDC) for nine years and competing with my team for the past seven years. We have won several awards to include World of Dance Regionals in New Jersey (2017), World of Dance Regionals in New York (2018), and we were one of the top 5 studios at the Dance Awards (2017). I dance at least twenty-five hours a week and this includes classes and company rehearsal time. We go to several regional competitions a year, and we always do extremely well. This year I am a senior, and it is really bittersweet - I consider all of my teammate’s brothers and sisters. It is easy to say that I would not be where I am today without the owners, faculty, and my team at SDC.

What kind of other awards have you won? And why do you think you won them?
I have won two Student of the Month Awards. The first I received in my freshman year from my math teacher, and I received the other in my sophomore year from the dance teacher. Overall, I was selected because I am always eager to help other students when they need it. In my sophomore year, I was the teaching assistant for Dance I. In this class, there were four special needs students. I was primarily in charge of working with them and teaching the class when the teacher was absent. I developed a very special bond with the special needs students and my favorite part of the day in my sophomore and junior year was when I worked with them.

What are some of your duties as you are an ambassador for Dance Hope Cure?
I became a Dance Hope Cure ambassador in the Fall of 2018. As an ambassador, I get to have dance related photo shoots and all the money raised is donated to childhood cancer research. Additionally, as an ambassador, I promote this non-profit organization by posting the pictures they take of me by their Emmy Award-winning photographer, Mike Gillette on social media. Finally, SDC was privileged to participate and share our love for dance for the first time at an event called Curefest that occurs on the National Mall in Washington, DC. All the senior ambassadors on my team choreographed the piece we performed for this event to raise awareness and funds to further childhood cancer research.

Do you plan on continuing to dance in the future? Why or why not?
I am still trying to figure out if I will be dancing in the future. In college, I would like to join the dance team, but I will not be majoring in dance. Dance will always have a special place in my heart, but I would like to try other things.

Karenna will be featured in Issue 17 of Inspiring Teens Magazine.

click here to nominate an inspiring teen you know

Click here to purchase inspiring teens magazine

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Anna Goldfogle

Anna Goldfogle – Maryland
Interview by Zoe D’Angelo
Nomination and Photography by Danielle Lavis Photography
Issue 20 Inspiring Teens Magazine

Gaby Esquivel

Gaby Esquivel – 17 - Maryland
Interview by Zoe D'Angelo
Nomination and Photography by Danielle Lavis Photography
Issue 17 | Athlete

Alexa Fucello

Alexa Fucello – 17 - Maryland
Interview by Zoe D'Angelo
Nomination and Photography by Danielle Lavis Photography
Issue 17 | Leader

Karenna Glenn

Karenna Glenn
Interviewed by Zoe D’Angelo
Nomination and Photography by Danielle Lavis Photography, LLC
Maryland
Issue 17 | Dancer

Featured

Archives

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Anna Goldfogle

Anna Goldfogle – MarylandInterview by Zoe D’AngeloNomination and Photography by Danielle Lavis Photography​Issue 20 Inspiring Teens Magazine​

Gaby Esquivel

​Gaby Esquivel – 17 - MarylandInterview by Zoe D'AngeloNomination and Photography by Danielle Lavis PhotographyIssue 17 | Athlete

Alexa Fucello

​Alexa Fucello – 17 - MarylandInterview by Zoe D'AngeloNomination and Photography by Danielle Lavis PhotographyIssue 17 | Leader

Karenna Glenn

Karenna GlennInterviewed by Zoe D’AngeloNomination and Photography by Danielle Lavis Photography, LLCMarylandIssue 17 | Dancer

Featured

Archives

Categories

Anna Goldfogle – Maryland
Interview by Zoe D’Angelo
Nomination and Photography by Danielle Lavis Photography
Issue 20 Inspiring Teens Magazine

Gaby Esquivel – 17 - Maryland
Interview by Zoe D'Angelo
Nomination and Photography by Danielle Lavis Photography
Issue 17 | Athlete

Alexa Fucello – 17 - Maryland
Interview by Zoe D'Angelo
Nomination and Photography by Danielle Lavis Photography
Issue 17 | Leader

Karenna Glenn
Interviewed by Zoe D’Angelo
Nomination and Photography by Danielle Lavis Photography, LLC
Maryland
Issue 17 | Dancer